World Kitchen plans layoffs at Corning plant

World Kitchen is planning layoffs at its Pressware plant in Corning, the company confirmed Monday.

Both salaried and hourly workers will be impacted, but company officials did not release how many employees would be affected, or when layoffs might occur.

The company is in the process of trying to improve efficiencies and productivity, and recently analyzed the manufacturing process at the plant, which sits on Steuben Street between Tioga Avenue and the Chemung River in downtown Corning.

Here’s the entire statement released by World Kitchen on Monday:

“World Kitchen is one of the few remaining US manufacturers of dinnerware. The performance of the Company’s Corning, NY manufacturing facility is critical to the Company’s future. To ensure its continued success, World Kitchen is taking steps to improve the facility’s efficiencies and overall productivity - a decision made after conducting an in-depth analysis of the Corning manufacturing process with a third-party consultant. The Company is now implementing those changes. Unfortunately, these actions will impact the salaried and hourly workforce, but will also make the Corning site more competitive and sustainable into the future. Steps are being taken to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible for the impacted employees.”The Leader got word through World Kitchen employees that significant layoffs were looming at the plant, but the employees did not wish to speak further with the newspaper because they’d been told by World Kitchen not to speak with the media.

The president of the plant’s union, United Steelworkers Local 1034, could not be reached for comment Monday.

The Department of Labor had not been notified of layoffs at World Kitchen as of Monday, according to a DOL spokesman.

Companies are required to notify the state Department of Labor of mass layoffs within 90 days of the layoffs. A “mass layoff” is defined as 25 or more workers, if the affected workers make up at least one-third of the employees at the site, or any layoff of 250 or more workers.

Jamie Johnson, executive director of the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, could not be reached for comment Monday. The IDA often works with state agencies to provide assistance to workers following layoffs at area companies.

World Kitchen unveiled a new $50 million glass melting furnace and tank at the 375,000-square-foot plant Corning plant in October 2011. At the time, officials said the project would boost production capacity of the Corelle line by 50 percent, and add 50 jobs at the facility. There were around 500 workers at the plant at the time.

Last year, word spread among local officials that World Kitchen was considering a $100 million expansion at the Corning plant. However, the company later pulled its application for state funding and apparently shelved the project.

Reuters reported last spring that World Kitchen, based in Rosemont, Illinois, was exploring a sale of the company, which employs around 3,000 worldwide.

The Pressware plant was built in 1938 by Corning Glass Works to manufacture Pyrex. It began producing Corelle in 1970, and was spun off by Corning in 1998, taking the name World Kitchen in 2000.